The art is replete with hand operated presses for reloading elongate metal rifle cartridges of the type each having a first end adapted to receive a primer, an opposite second end, and a hollow cylindrical end portion adjacent its second end. Such a press typically comprises a cartridge receptacle adapted to releasably receive and support the first end of such a cartridges of a predetermined shape and size (e.g., a 30-06, .308, .223, or .270 cartridge); and a die having an inner surface defining a cavity adapted to receive at least the second end portion of the cartridge of that predetermined shape and size with a portion of a bullet closely received within that second end portion and a portion of that bullet projecting from the second end of the cartridge. That inner surface of the die includes a forming surface shaped to crimp the second end of the cartridge into engagement with the surface of the bullet to retain the bullet in the cartridge when the cartridge is pressed longitudinally into the die by the press. The press includes a die support member that engages and supports the die, and a cartridge receptacle support member that supports the cartridge receptacle; and means mounting the cartridge receptacle support member and die support member for movement between (1) a first relative position with the cartridge receptacle sufficiently spaced from the die to afford manually positioning the cartridge on or removal of the cartridge from the cartridge receptacle, and (2) a second position with the second end portion of the cartridge supported on the cartridge receptacle within the die with the second end of the cartridge pressed against the forming surface. A manually operable drive mechanism is provided for moving the cartridge receptacle support and die support members between those first and second relative positions, with which drive mechanism an operator can manually apply different forces between the second end of a cartridge on the cartridge receptacle and the forming surface to crimp the second end of the cartridge into engagement with the bullet in the cartridge. Typically that manually operable drive mechanism comprises a first elongate bar having a first end pivotably attached to the cartridge receptacle support member, a second elongate bar having a first end pivotably attached to the die support member, with a second end of the second elongate bar opposite its first end being pivotably attached to the first elongate bar at or adjacent its second end, and a ridged elongate handle having a drive end portion fixed to the first elongate bar at its second end, and an opposite manually engage able end portion. Torque can be manually applied through the handle to the first elongate bar from the manually engage able end portion to drive the cartridge receptacle support and die support members from their first to their second relative positions so that the die crimps the second end of a cartridge on the cartridge receptacle against a bullet in that cartridge.
Finding a load for a rifle cartridge for use in a specific rifle that provides desired characteristics (e.g., bullet structure and weight, muzzle velocity) and the greatest precision when fired from that specific rifle is a tedious and time consuming process. That process typically requires testing many possible combinations of suitable primers, bullets, powder types and weights of those powder that can be used, by loading several (e.g., five) rifle cartridges with each combination using a hand operated press of the type described above. Publications such as “Speer Reloading Manual, Rifle and Pistol” published by Speer, Lewiston, Indiana are consulted to determine the combinations of primers, bullets and power weight ranges of various powders that can be used and the muzzle velocities that those combinations should produce. Extreme care is taken to be sure that the rifle cartridges loaded with each selected combination are clean and that their cylindrically tubular second end portions in which the bullets are retained (which may be resized by the press) are of the same size. Also, the weight of powder placed in each cartridge is very carefully measured for consistency between the cartridges. The loader is also instructed by the literature to form a “good crimp” between the second end of the cartridge and the bullet. The loaded cartridges of each combination are fired at the same target from that specific rifle with the rifle carefully aimed at the same spot on the target while the rifle is cradled and retained in a rile rest supported on a firm horizontal surface so that only the rifles trigger is contacted as it is fired. The maximum distance between the group of holes in the target formed by the bullets is then measured. The combination forming the smallest group is considered to provide the greatest precision.